We were very proud to present Robin Way, John Quackenbush, and Jack Hedman who shared their love of metal detecting as well as some of the very old coins and other artifacts that they have found in various places in South Hero, North Hero, around Vermont, New Hampshire and New York state. Click on the arrow to see a video of the whole talk. It's about an hour. Scroll down to see a short write-up explaining some of the pictures and highlighting each speaker.
Here is Robin Way who started us off with a few tidbits and advice. "The trick is knowing where to go. It reminds me of fishing: You don't tell others if you find a great fishing hole!" He showed us his basic kit and mentioned his favorite and most useful tool is the knife he is holding up. He uses it for digging and cutting sod. He was particularly thrilled the time he worked his detector around in the yard of his childhood home and found the yellow metal truck pictured here!
Sitting next to Robin is John Quackenbush. Unlike Robin, John likes to use the latest technology. He has a GPS on his wand that is able to pinpoint where you find something and mark it for future reference. He was interested originally in finding wheat pennies and Indian heads and then moved into looking in places where he might find relics dropped over 300 years ago. Things like coins from the late 1700, show buckles, bells off of a horse's harness, and more. Look at the pictures below. Notice the model T hubcap, the cool 1800 powder flask, the colonial show buckle frame before they had laces, the leather belt plate that says E-Pluribus-Unum, the militia sword belt plate or buckle. He reminded us to never polish or shine coins. That takes the value away. You can wet and then brush lightly with a toothbrush.
Next we had Jack Hedman who has been metal detecting over 40 years. He started out of curiosity. In 1970 he found a lot of coins at North beach and in Taylor Park in St.Albans. Over his lifetime he has found over 5,000 coins. He has a 1799 Canadian Copper coin. He mentioned how heavy the detectors are and showed us a harness that he wears to preserve his back.
He stressed that the most important part is leaving the area the way you found it. He digs a three sided hole and pries it up with a hinge. After he retrieves the coin, it is easy to put the sod back correctly. You'll see some cool finds in his pictures below--a silver bleeding heart pin that was made to trade with the Indians. The Indians wore them on their robes. He also shows a 44th Regiment button. He also has a George Washington campaign button. It's the big one in the picture that is labeled 6/22/04. He shows a harness that he wears to preserve his back. There is also a 18 carat gold coin with Hercules on the front. One picture shows three artifacts together. Could it be that a soldier was biting on the bullet (See the teeth marks) while the doctor was pulling out the arrow point and his button fell of his jacket? All three of these artifacts were found in the same spot next to each other! We want to thank these talented and passionate men for sharing with us.
Here is Robin Way who started us off with a few tidbits and advice. "The trick is knowing where to go. It reminds me of fishing: You don't tell others if you find a great fishing hole!" He showed us his basic kit and mentioned his favorite and most useful tool is the knife he is holding up. He uses it for digging and cutting sod. He was particularly thrilled the time he worked his detector around in the yard of his childhood home and found the yellow metal truck pictured here!
Sitting next to Robin is John Quackenbush. Unlike Robin, John likes to use the latest technology. He has a GPS on his wand that is able to pinpoint where you find something and mark it for future reference. He was interested originally in finding wheat pennies and Indian heads and then moved into looking in places where he might find relics dropped over 300 years ago. Things like coins from the late 1700, show buckles, bells off of a horse's harness, and more. Look at the pictures below. Notice the model T hubcap, the cool 1800 powder flask, the colonial show buckle frame before they had laces, the leather belt plate that says E-Pluribus-Unum, the militia sword belt plate or buckle. He reminded us to never polish or shine coins. That takes the value away. You can wet and then brush lightly with a toothbrush.
Next we had Jack Hedman who has been metal detecting over 40 years. He started out of curiosity. In 1970 he found a lot of coins at North beach and in Taylor Park in St.Albans. Over his lifetime he has found over 5,000 coins. He has a 1799 Canadian Copper coin. He mentioned how heavy the detectors are and showed us a harness that he wears to preserve his back.
He stressed that the most important part is leaving the area the way you found it. He digs a three sided hole and pries it up with a hinge. After he retrieves the coin, it is easy to put the sod back correctly. You'll see some cool finds in his pictures below--a silver bleeding heart pin that was made to trade with the Indians. The Indians wore them on their robes. He also shows a 44th Regiment button. He also has a George Washington campaign button. It's the big one in the picture that is labeled 6/22/04. He shows a harness that he wears to preserve his back. There is also a 18 carat gold coin with Hercules on the front. One picture shows three artifacts together. Could it be that a soldier was biting on the bullet (See the teeth marks) while the doctor was pulling out the arrow point and his button fell of his jacket? All three of these artifacts were found in the same spot next to each other! We want to thank these talented and passionate men for sharing with us.
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